Known conventional microscopic pore forming devices include a piston that imparts an impact on microprotrusion member (microneedle chip), an anchoring mechanism for anchoring the piston in a state in which a spring is exerting a force, and a holding ring for holding the microprotrusion member (for example, WO/2002/030301).
When the microscopic pore forming device disclosed in WO/2002/030301 is used, the piston is anchored by the anchoring mechanism in a state in which a force is exerted by the spring, a holding ring is installed at the bottom part of the piston, the holding ring is positioned adjacent to the skin, the piston applies an impact on the microprotrusion member by removing the anchoring mechanism, and microscopic pores are formed via the impact of the microprotrusion member on the skin.
In the microscopic pore forming device disclosed in WO/2002/030301, however, since the microprotrusion member must be removed from the holding ring in order to again form microscopic pores, a new microprotrusion member must be held on the holding ring manually by the operator and that may lead to contamination of the microprotrusion member.